THE Department of Employment refused Masters a visa
and Monarchs chiefs have now turned to Labour MP Michael Connarty to fight their case.

EDINBURGH speedway chiefs last night turned to politicians in a bid to rescue their bid to sign Aussie star Sam Masters.

The Armadale club have seen their plans for the season thrown into chaos just six days before their home opener against Berwick after the Department of Employment refused a visa
for the exciting 21-year-old.

Masters
is waiting Down Under to head for Scotland but appeals have so far been
thrown out and Monarchs chiefs have now turned to Michael Connarty, Labour MP for Linlithgow and Falkirk East, to fight their case.

Connarty is seeking answers but Edinburgh have put a 48-hour deadline on the issue.

Club
chief John Campbell said: “We signed Sam in November to make our great team even better but in the last two weeks we’ve run into severe visa problems.

“The battle to get him into the country goes on and it’s becoming increasingly difficult.”

Edinburgh’s frustration has been heightened by a change to the rules which was not made public.

The regulations were altered four months ago to make sure those who let their visa expire cannot re-apply for 12 months.

Masters rode for Somerset last term but had just a one-year visa which expired in November.

In
another twist, Aussie pair Jason Doyle and Alex Davies – who are in the
identical situation to Masters – have been granted visas to ride for Somerset.

Edinburgh have used that as their grounds for appeal but so far it has fallen on deaf ears.

Danish star Claus Visser is ready to step into the breach if Masters remains stuck in Australia.

The other six members of the line up are Derek Sneddon, Marcel Helfer, Theo Pijper, Jozsef Tabaka, Craig Cook and Max Fricke.

Eurosport have clinched a three-year deal to screen the Speedway GP series live.